Claudette Powers, 73, teacher, local activist

For longtime Long Beach activist Claudette Powers, helping people was one of her greatest passions.

A K-6 teacher for 17 years and former principal at Paramount Unified High School, Powers was involved in dozens of organizations and community groups over the years in Long Beach and Los Angeles.

“She lived to help others,” said her son, Ellis Powers. “She was an angel on this earth.”

Powers, a two-time breast cancer survivor, died on Nov. 6 after suffering a heart attack during surgery. She was 73.

On Thursday, friends and family celebrated her life in a memorial service at Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where she was a member for more than five decades, followed by a repast in Somerset Park in Long Beach across the street from her family's home.

Born in Texas on June 27, 1940, Powers was the oldest of six children. She moved to Los Angeles to live with an aunt at the age of 17 and later met her husband, Ellis Powers. Powers continued to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher and worked as an attendance clerk for the Los Angeles Unified School District while taking night courses at a college.

“There were times when she could only take one class per semester, but she felt she had to stay connected, so she took classes and workshops to continue her education,” her family wrote in the program for her service.

After 17 years, Powers earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson and then went on to earn a master's in special education at the University of San Francisco. In June 2000, Powers retired from teaching after surviving two battles with breast cancer. But her service didn't stop there.

Powers was hired by the Long Beach-based Peace Partners Inc., where she worked to council children and adults on building a positive environment in the classroom. She also served as a member of Long Beach's community assistance team as a counselor for victims of hate crimes.

Her other involvements included: Leadership Long Beach, NAACP Long Beach, Neighborhood Watch, Long Beach Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Project, Heart and Hands United in Giving, Women's Business Council, A Voice for Long Beach Children, Long Beach Youth and Gang Violence Prevention task Force and many more.

The program for the memorial service included a favorite quote by Powers: “When we have peace within, we promote peace in others.”

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